food allergy effects

The core impact of food allergies is by no means limited to superficial physiological reactions such as skin itching and rashes. It starts from the hidden restrictions on daily dietary choices and extends upward to the risk of fatal acute allergies. It also penetrates into all aspects of mental health, social patterns and even family decision-making. It is a long-term health problem that spans multiple physical, psychological, and social dimensions.

Not long ago, I was a follow-up volunteer in the allergology department and met a 3-year-old child with a wheat allergy. Every time his grandma took him downstairs for a walk, she would clutch a bulging canvas bag with epinephrine pens, second-generation antihistamines, and disinfectant wipes neatly packed together. It was more complete than an office worker’s commuting bag. Other children in the community were sharing soda crackers, but he could only hold his own gluten-free rice crackers and hide behind his grandma, not even having the courage to go over and take a look. One time, the neighbor didn't understand the taboo and stuffed him with a mouthful of custard buns. In just two minutes, the child's face was swollen to the point where his eyes narrowed into slits, and his throat was so heavy that he couldn't breathe. The family rushed to the emergency room with him in his arms, and it took him a long time to recover.

For people with severe allergies, this risk hangs over their heads almost 24 hours a day. You never know whether the next bite you take may send you to the emergency room. No matter how careful you are, cross-contamination from the kitchen when dining out or unlabeled allergen ingredients in take-out sauces can lead to missteps. A mild case of rash all over the body, diarrhea and vomiting, severe laryngeal edema, or anaphylactic shock can really lead to death if the rescue is not timely.

Of course, many voices in the academic community are now reminding us not to attribute all “discomfort after eating” to food allergies. Many people say they have diarrhea after drinking milk and itchy mouth corners after eating mangoes. In fact, most of them are lactose intolerance or intolerance reactions caused by alkaloids irritating the mucous membranes. They are not true allergies mediated by IgE, and there is no need to ban all foods. A girl came for a review before and said that she was allergic to mangoes and had not dared to touch them for three years. Later, allergen tests were negative. She tried eating half a small mango, but nothing happened. She almost cried on the spot and said how much mango ice she had missed in the past three years.

In addition to the physical risks, the hidden constraints brought about by food allergies are actually even more annoying. I have a college classmate who is allergic to cashew nuts. When he first started working, every time there was a department dinner, he would take the menu and ask the waiter one by one, "Are there any chopped nuts in this dish?" It wasn't until the last annual department meeting that the kitchen accidentally sprinkled a handful of chopped cashew nuts while making a salad. After taking two bites, his throat tightened and he squatted on the ground panting. Everyone hurriedly called him 120, and finally no one thought he was faking.

Regarding the response to food allergy, there are currently two completely different ideas in clinical practice. The traditional plan is "absolute avoidance". As long as the allergen is detected, avoid touching it for the rest of your life. It is suitable for severe allergic patients with a history of anaphylactic shock. It is safe, but it does add a lot of restrictions to life. Oral immunotherapy, which has become popular in the past ten years, has a completely different approach. It involves gradually exposing the allergen to small doses and slowly helping the body build tolerance. The child with wheat allergy that I followed up before has now been treated for more than half a year and can now eat half a piece of ordinary white steamed buns. Grandma said that he finally no longer needs to be treated separately. Of course, there are many voices of opposition. They feel that this therapy is high-risk, and if the dosage is not well controlled, it can easily induce acute allergies. It is also suitable for a narrow group of people. Patients with severe asthma and immune deficiencies cannot try it at all, and it cannot be promoted blindly.

As a follow-up volunteer for almost two years, I have seen too many misunderstandings about food allergies: either I think it is "hypocritical" or "it will be fine when the children grow up", but they don't take it seriously, and they end up with big food problems.； Or once an allergy is discovered, you feel like you are facing an enemy. You don't even dare to touch a plate that has allergens on it, and you live in trepidation. In fact, it is really not necessary. First go to a regular hospital for a systematic allergen test to distinguish whether it is a true allergy or a false intolerance, and then choose a response plan based on your own allergy level.

I was chatting with the old director of the department before, and he said that food allergies simply mean that the immune system "recognizes death" and treats originally harmless foods as enemies. It will indeed cause a lot of troubles in life, but it is not an incurable terminal disease. You should avoid it and try what you can. You can't live a life shrinking just because of a few mouthfuls of food, don't you think?